My Introduction to Sours and a Visit to Heretic

[reuliss]

As a Washington, D.C. area resident, I jumped at the opportunity to visit Jamil's brewery, Heretic, while in Napa for business this past Thursday. Some great beers there, that's for sure. Prior to that day, I had had all but one sour beer (a DFH with peaches). Hated it. At heretic, I had a great experience with a beer Jamil calls "Miscreant."

From the website:

"A beer not for the faint of heart. If you are not a beer geek passionate about craft beer, then this one may not be for you. Similar to the sour beers of Flanders, Miscreant is a beer for those with a love of and a palate for complex beers. Dark, tart, malty, with a balancing sweetness. This beer utilizes a complex culture of yeast, other organisms, and oak aging to obtain its rich complexity. With each sip you will find notes of tart cherries, vanilla, chocolate, and more."

This beer was fabulous. I really wasn't lip smacking sour. It reminded me of many flavors one might get from a tangy Pinot Noir. In any event, the beer has inspired me to explore some of the better sours out there, but I don't know where to begin. Anyone have some suggestions? Also, if you're in the area, I really recommend a visit to Heretic's tasting rrom.

 

[ktblunden]

Russian River's Consecration is one of the best, in my opinion.

 

[reuliss]

Russian River's Consecration is one of the best, in my opinion.

man, I wish I could get RR beers here out east.

 

[dcp27]

man, I wish I could get RR beers here out east.

drive a few hours to philly and you can

as far as good sours, anything from Tilquin, Haansens, or Drie Fontenien should be available and incredible.

 

[ehope411]

I like Monk's Flemish, Rodenbach, Duchess of Bourgogne, and Petrus Oud Bruin and Aged Pale - the latter was a bit over the top for me.

Petrus and Monk's were available in a Sour Power variety pack I picked up on a whim. Not cheap - around $80. I'd see if you could pick up some singles at a bottle shop somewhere to see what you like.

 

[FarmerTed]

As far as readily available ones go, I would say that Cuvee de Jacobins-Rouge is my favorite. It's usually ~$6/11.2 oz bottle, which is on par with the lower priced sour beers. It's quite sour, imo, but pretty easy to drink. Jolly Pumpkin makes some good ones as well, that are probably not that hard to find (La Roja, Oro de Calabaza, Dark Dawn Stout).

 

[ktblunden]

I like Monk's Flemish, Rodenbach, Duchess of Bourgogne, and Petrus Oud Bruin and Aged Pale - the latter was a bit over the top for me.

Those are all pretty great examples and I believe reasonably easy to find.